What parents need to know

Cartoon violence but no blood or death animations. The character Tlaloc could scare younger children, as could the Tomb world where a character is awakened from a coffin.

Language

Not applicable

Consumerism

Not applicable

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the cartoon violence takes a back seat to the puzzle objectives. The few characters that are killed disappear in a flash of light and mist, or in some cases appear merely unconscious. Occasionally Tak's guide will encourage him to club bad guys, but usually she's more like a cheerleader than an advocate for violence.

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What's it about?

In TAK AND THE POWER OF JUJU, THQ and Avalanche have partnered with Nickelodeon to create a character who is silly and lovable. The game begins with a lengthy introduction: The Pupununu people -- Tak's tribe -- recently chose a new village elder and the great shaman, Tlaloc, was passed over for the position. In revenge, he stole the sacred moonstones that help protect the Pupununu people and turned the entire village, except for Tak, into sheep. Tak is the only one who can save the Pupununu and restore them to their human forms.

While exploring many different worlds, Tak collects various items that will help turn the Pupununu back to normal. Throughout the game Tak must collect magic feathers, some of which give him health, while others give him more magic power. Eventually he will learn magic skills, such as learning to fly and swim like a fish, that can help him accomplish his missions. Other magic powers will help him defeat enemies or control them for his own gain.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Tlaloc, the evil character, might scare younger children, but his henchmen are nothing more than bumbling sidekicks with an air of comic relief. The tomb scenes with the mummies rising from the dead also have scare potential but the context is humorous and not intended to be scary. Children may also be surprised by the cuddly-looking animals in the game that often throw things at Tak or punch him when he provokes them with his weapon.

The collecting missions will be very familiar to most children who have played games in the past and may get tedious after a while. But the silly humor and Juju powers help break up the general repetitiveness of collecting items. The designers have even thrown in a few snowboarding levels, sheep-maneuvering missions, and a mission where Tak must dress in a chicken suit. Add to that the jumping and swinging from platform to platform high above canyons and rivers, and Tak and the Power of Juju becomes a game worth hours of enjoyment.

Families can talk about...

Families can talk about heroism. What makes Tak a hero? Also, how does this game compare to the TV show?

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About Our Rating System

The age displayed for each title is the minimum one for which it's developmentally appropriate. We recently updated all of our reviews to show only this age, rather than the multi-color "slider." Get more information about our ratings.

What parents and kids say

I dont have this particular one, but I have the next one

I dont actually have this game, I have Tak 2 and the Staff of Dreams. I would not recommend it because in the second one it was really weird and for some reason there was no way to get through the first level really. I kept trying but the boulder in my path didnt look like it would move any time soon. This game is probably like that, and I dont like controlling a character like Tak, either.

Good

I found this game to be very fun. The cutscenes and story were pretty good. I particularly like how in the opening cutscene, Jibulba (Tak's mentor, and a witch doctor) is addressing the player as though they are a Juju (which is sort of like a God in Tak's world). This game is much better than its sequel, which was mediocre. It's a million times better than the short-lived cartoon version, which was abysmal.

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